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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22738486">Invisible Pomegranates</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/strifeanddiscord/pseuds/strifeanddiscord'>strifeanddiscord</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alpha Tom Riddle, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Bubblebaths, Bullied Harry, Cuddling, Cute Harry, Harry Potter Never Went to Hogwarts, Inspired by Hades and Persephone (Ancient Greek Religion &amp; Lore), M/M, Omega Harry, Panic Attacks, Protective Tom, Tom is secretly adorable, Tom lives in the muggle world, first heat, grayasexual Tom, vegan Tom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 18:35:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,570</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22738486</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/strifeanddiscord/pseuds/strifeanddiscord</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry is unknowingly on the edge of his first heat, when he is attacked by muggles. Tom feels Harry’s magic calling him, and steps in to save the adorable Omega.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Harry Potter/Tom Riddle</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>879</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Bottom!Harry, Creature Fics, Riddle, Tomarry 💜</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A Fateful Encounter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my first fanfic! Please let me know if you find any spelling mistakes :)<br/>Warnings: Panik Attack, Bullies, Minor bloodshed<br/>Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or names of places</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>     His instincts were screaming at him in chorus to <em>run</em>. His breath was rattling through his lungs like a desperate, starving animal tearing its way through his insides screaming at him to breathe. He pumped his legs even faster trying to push through the pain he was in. His whole body ached the way it tended to when he was sick, but he couldn’t let it get the better of him. Just a small stretch left and he would be in a forested area with cover and– <em>Fucking hell</em>– the street underneath him flipped upside down and inside out and he felt his ankle roll in an unnatural way.<br/>
     Now he was facedown on the ground in a puddle of water that had understandably not yet evaporated in the cool morning air and his hands and cheek burned from the fall on the unforgiving Asphalt. He tried– he really did, it was hard not to with the adrenaline pumping through his veins– to get up but the second he even slightly moved his ankle it seemed to form its own fiery heartbeat with the consequence of Harry bitting very hard on his cheek and the very familiar taste of –ugh<em> not again</em>– blood mingled with the lovely slimy rainwater and several pieces of gravel he was now spitting out.<br/>
     He suddenly heard a shout and several pairs of feet slapping against the ground and another bullet of adrenaline shot through his body and he started to try and crawl to shelter even though he knew he couldn’t make it. A hand grabbed him roughly by his overlarge shirt and he was being torn to his feet against a large body with his shirt now hanging in tatters off his shoulders and glasses laying in some undisclosed location reducing his vision to a kaleidoscopic blur. His ankle protested– rather loudly–and he whimpered while frantically fluttering in the grasp of this person, whose touch disgusted him so much he felt ants crawling up his limbs.<br/>
     “LET GO!“ he screamed, while tears escaped the corner of his eyes. A chorus of laughs was to be heard and Harry felt the rest of the group closing around him. The flick of a knife startled Harry enough that he gave another violent shove, but then he felt nails digging into his scalp, gripping his hair, which exposed his neck to the startlingly cold and delicate knife that ran across his throat teasingly.<br/>
     He felt a sudden presence closing in from further away–not part of the group– taking his attention away from the pain and jeering and reached out with his magic asking for help. It suddenly became clearer–Harry supposed it was coming nearer– and tugged even more insistently on them with his magic until he heard an unamused voice say: ”I suggest you let go of him now and leave before you get hurt.“ Arms crushed him even more firmly and the knife dug into the underside of his chin hard enough to for him to feel something hot run down his neck. He wheezed under the pressure and the newcomer <em>growled</em> and his magic sang through the air in a violent torrent of chaos and Harry slipped to the ground without support. He finally blacked out from the pain and the last thing he remembered was being cradled in strong arms and feeling safe.</p><hr/>
<p>     His eyes fluttered open slowly. He had never woken up so peacefully before. He was curled up in a soft blanket and he was <em>warm</em>, his head was rested on–<strong>hold on</strong>, his head was resting on someone’s <em>lap</em>. He sat up so fast that he knocked his head into the strangers chin and winced, while simultaneously trying to scoot away.<br/>
     Before he could demand he be given his glasses he belatedly realized he scooted too far and fell in a tangled heap on the floor. The blanket was now wrapped firmly around his limbs and over his head and he couldn’t see–he couldn’t see he couldn’t see he <em>couldn’t see</em>. His heart fluttered rapidly in its cage trying to break out and he was in a <em>stranger’s house and he couldn’t see</em>. He sucked in breath after breath and the colors he was able to see started to become gray and black and– cool hands were on his forehead and a voice was buzzing in his ear from far away saying <em>something</em> but he wasn’t sure what. However, those cool hands felt wonderful so he pressed his face more firmly into them. They smelled comforting like herbs as if he had just been cooking and his head felt like a snowglobe that had just been shaken and his thoughts were the snowflakes spinning furiously in a blizzard and still he couldn’t <em>breathe</em>. The hands left and he felt so helpless. Suddenly his mouth and nose were covered with a paper bag, and he struggled to get away because those wonderful hands were now betraying him and– his vision was gaining back colors and he felt his glasses being slid on his face and those wonderful cool hands were back on his forehead and he could breathe again–albeit shakily.<br/>
     After some time that could have been hours or minutes, he realized his checks were wet. Some words then came out of his stupid mouth that he hadn’t planned on: “Why did you put a <em>fucking bag</em> on my face! I couldn’t breathe.”<br/>
     “You were hyperventilating.” The stranger answered with a very calm and collected voice which Harry <em>hated</em> because he felt like such a mess in comparison –hiccuping on the floor with tears dripping down his face, tangled in a fuzzy blanket. “Which means,“ he continued, ”that you were taking in too much oxygen and not expelling it, which why I used a bag to help control your breathing.“ Harry studied the stranger‘s face while he was talking and it was just as calm as his voice. Elegant dark locks brushed against high cheekbones and contrasted beautifully with his impossibly clear skin. His eyes were focused on Harry and looked very serious but also soft. Harry’s anger deflated at the look this gorgeous stranger was giving him and suddenly felt so tired that he could have fallen asleep right then and there.<br/>
     “You’re absolutely beautiful,“ Harry whispered and looked into the dark eyes of the stranger and felt at peace again. “What’s you’re name?“<br/>
     “Tom,” the stranger answered and looked at him curiously but with the hint of a smile on his face.<br/>
     Harry suddenly felt guilty for yelling at him and supplied his name even though the stranger hadn’t asked yet. “I’m Harry.“<br/>
     “Hello, Harry.” Tom replied. He smoothly took Harry’s right hand and planted a soft kiss on it, which made Harry’s stomach go all warm and mushy. “Do you need help getting out of that blanket? You gave me quite a scare.” Tom was still holding his hand and rubbing it with his thumb and looked at him so earnestly that Harry instantly trusted him. Harry had never trusted anyone before, <em>especially</em> not with touching him, but something felt so safe about this man that Harry nodded in answer to his question–Harry reasoned it was probably because he also had magic and this was, in fact, the only other person with magic he’d ever met, which made him both excited and nervous.<br/>
     Tom slowly moved closer towards him and that was when Harry realized they were both sitting on the ground–and just <em>how</em> was it possible for someone to look so put together whilst scooting forward on the ground he would never know. Those gentle cool hands slowly unraveled him from the blanket and maneuvered his limbs with ease until Harry was blanket-free and slightly shivering in his torn and dirty clothes on the cool hardwood floor. Tom set the blanket aside and looked him in the eyes again while saying “Darling“ and Harry nearly melted on the spot then and there. “We need to get you cleaned up and see to your injuries. Can I pick you up?“ Tom waited until Harry nodded in affirmation and he wrapped an arm around his back and another under his knees and stood up carefully with Harry in his arms. Harry had never been carried like this before and relaxed against Tom’s chest that was so wonderfully solid and warm.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Sailing through Calm Waters</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I forgot to mention this story is written in General American so words like quite will be understood differently depending on your accent!!<br/>Besides that I wanted to mention POV switching.Hope you enjoy :)<br/>Mentions of abuse and injuries<br/>Next update will be in 2 days.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1"><span class="s1">     Tom was trying to ignore how ridiculously adorable this omega was. He was so small and delicate and his face was nuzzled in Tom’s chest and– stop it Tom, </span> <span class="s2"> <em>focus</em> </span> <span class="s1">. He was carrying him towards the bathroom and Tom mentally fortified himself to get this task done because that was all this was–a task, another thing to cross off for the day on his planner, while the other half of his brain insisted on lingering on the image of Harry covered with bubbles.<br/></span><span class="s1">     Tom then set the </span> <span class="s2"> <em>tiny, adorable</em> </span> <span class="s1">–shut up brain–omega on the floor next to the bathtub, turned the water on, and got towels, and soap, and shampoo, and a first aid kit, and bubbles–no Tom </span> <span class="s2"> <em>no</em> </span> <span class="s1">–out of the cabinet that was perfectly organized. He turned around with his arms full and noticed Harry’s brow was scrunched and leaning against the tub. Tom quickly set everything down and kneeled next to Harry gently rubbing his thumbs against Harry’s temple.<br/></span>      “Is your head bothering you?” Tom asked and then internally smacked himself because he could smell that this omega was on the cusp of his heat–almost positive it would be his first–and dizziness and headaches were common symptoms. Nevertheless, Harry nodded in answer slowly so as not to jolt his head too much and made a small sound of pain that had all of Tom’s instincts wanting to wrap Harry up in his arms until it went away. Tom restrained himself–barely–and suggested Harry take his clothes off whilst he turned around and tried not to imagine what Harry looked like underneath his clothes.<br/>     “Tom?” Tom hummed in answer. “I can’t get in, my ankle‘s hurting me too much b-but can you close your eyes......please.“ Tom then moved slowly over to the bathtub with his eyes shut so tightly that he was sure there would be permanent wrinkles around his eyes.<br/><span class="s1">     He crouched down and touched Harry’s hair–he mentally sniggered at that and repeated Harry’s hair three more times in his head until he told himself to shut up– and picked him up as he had before, but this time he could feel his </span> <span class="s2">skin</span> <span class="s1"> and it was soft and</span> <span class="s2">–<em>oh please stop acting like an adolescent</em>. </span> <span class="s1">Tom then set Harry gently in the water, accidentally getting his shirt wet, and proceeded to take it off, while asking Harry if the water was warm enough and if he wanted a bubble bath to which Harry replied with a radiant smile that made Tom’s knees go all wobbly. “A bubblebath? Oh that sounds </span> <span class="s2"> <em>amazing.” </em></span>Tom mentally celebrated so loudly that he nearly spilled the bubbles on the floor. When Tom turned around again, Harry was looking at Tom’s chest with wide eyes and he mentally congratulated himself on sticking to his exercise regimen. <br/>     He then grabbed the washcloth, dunked it in the water and proceeded to wash Harry’s hands–that were so small compared to his–careful of the scrapes on his palms. “Yo–You really don’t need to do that. I c-can do it myself.“ Harry stuttered and blushed while chewing his lip and Tom just looked at him with his eyebrows raised and continued washing Harry–who still had his glasses on. <br/><span class="s1">     One thing Tom noticed while he was washing Harry–besides the fact he was right about how adorable Harry looked covered in bubbles–that made his vision go slightly red and his muscles tense up was how may scars and bruises Harry had–crisscrossing his body in pale lines that were very noticeable on Harry’s dark skin color, the bruises bloomed across his skin in a sick bouquet. Some in particular that bothered him were the one on Harry’s face that started on his forehead and wandered down to his left cheekbone, several other were strange round marks that were scattered on his small frame. Harry was also very skinny, so much so that you could see his ribs through his skin–he would be sure to feed Harry. All in all, Tom was very worried about this little omega he had rescued and wondered in a train of thought that was making him uncomfortable if Harry even knew he was an omega at all.<br/></span>     After all, only people with magic had secondary genders and Tom had learned the hard way that only people born in families with a long history of magic went to the school Hogwarts and learned about such things. All the other so-called muggleborns were ignored and often had a difficult time trying to figure out what was going on with them especially if they presented as an Omega or Alpha. Tom was slowly coming to the conclusion that Harry was a muggleborn and very confused. Tom also very timidly thought that the reason there were so many scars was that Harry was abused because of how strange he must seem to other muggles. He was very unhappy about all of these revelations and knew he would have to bring them up to Harry at some point before he started his heat, which would start soon, in two days at the latest.<br/>     Looking up into Harry’s eyes, he let a small smile grace his face, as he saw bubbles slide from his hair down the side of his grinning face. He promised himself he would try to keep Harry this happy and safe. <br/>     Tom silently finished cleaning Harry–Running the washcloth up his ribs, tickling him on purpose to which he heard giggling and a “stop it,Tom“– and handed Harry a towel that had one of his favorite patterns on it, he drained the tub and when Harry was wrapped in the towel, lifted him out to assess his injuries.</p><hr/><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Harry had blushed the entire time Tom washed him not used to hands being so caring, his thumbs rubbing circles into his ribs to calm him down whenever he tensed up. The best moment was when Tom had washed his hair–his eyes had rolled into the back of his head and he nearly fell asleep right then and there.  <br/></span>     After Tom was finished and Harry was still blushing but also feeling much better, Harry was wrapped in a very large towel, sitting on the edge of the tub slightly shivering from the loss of the warm water.<br/>     Tom was digging around in a first aid kit silently and Harry closed his eyes while yawning and felt a warm hand lifting up his left ankle for inspection and blinked his watery eyes open.<br/>     “It’s not broken just twisted,” Harry said. Tom just gave him an unbelieving look and Harry rolled his eyes, leaving Tom to examine his foot further. A rush of heavy magic suddenly encased his foot, and he startled slightly looking at Tom‘s furrowed brow and relaxed into the feeling of his magic– it was comforting in a way he couldn’t explain, it was cool heaviness compared to the warm breeze of his magic– and his own magic started ringing slightly and swirling around Tom‘s excitedly. <br/><span class="s1">     Tom looked at him curiously, gently set down his foot and said “it’s sprained you’ll need to rest it adequately for it to heal.“ Tom started wrapping it, which made him wince and Tom stroked his leg in apology. <br/></span>     Tom gently worked through the rest of Harry’s injuries, until his eyes caught on the wound from the knife, which was starting to bleed again, his eyes darkening slightly and he looked away getting a bandaid from his kit. <br/><span class="s1">     Tom then gently wiped the excess blood off with his tumb, which made Harry shiver, and pressed the bandaid to his throat. Tom grabbed a stack of clothing and started dressing Harry in soft but very large clothes that smelled like Tom. Harry was picked up in sweep of Tom‘s arms, and he yawned again letting his head rest against Tom‘s warm chest, while Tom carried him into a bedroom and laid him onto a bed, taking care with his injuries. Tom then covered Harry in a large duvet and Harry fell asleep so fast he didn’t even remember Tom walking out the door.</span></p><hr/><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Tom returned to what he had been doing earlier in the kitchen before he had felt Harry’s magic call out to him–cooking in the kitchen. He was making his favorite sunflower spaghetti and continued chopping up the carrots and celery while thinking about the best way to explain to Harry about omegas, and heats, and the magical society that was extremely prejudiced. Tom himself had been so frustrated by those self important,–</span> <span class="s2"> <em>chop</em> </span> <span class="s1">–inbred,–</span> <em> <span class="s2">chop chop</span> </em> <span class="s1">–narcissistic–here he scraped the vegetables into the pan on the stove in a slightly more forceful way than was needed–fucking–he grabbed an onion, which he started attacking with his knife, and felt his eyes burn and tear up–bastards–and punctuated the insult with a particularly loud chop that almost cut his finger. </span><br/><span class="s1">     He had come from a very important family in the Wizarding World, the Gaunts, but had been kidnapped and dumped in an muggle orphanage because their political adversaries had wanted his parents focused on finding him instead of the current legislation. He had only been found by his mother by accident when he was roaming through London to get away from that horrible, loveless place shortly before his tenth birthday. His father had apparently been killed a few months beforehand and his mother was so distraught she had mistaken him for his father. Her health had steadily declined throughout his Hogwarts years and by the time he was seventeen he was an orphan. Since then he had retreated completely into the muggle world out of pure frustration, spite, and heartbreak and had been steadily climbing the ranks in a company that built cars. He lived well off with a large inheritance in a wonderful house with a wooded property, practiced his magic in secret and felt so very </span> <em> <span class="s2">alone. </span></em><br/>     He took a deep breath, wiped the tears from his eyes–damn he hated chopping onions–and checked on Harry with a trickle of his magic, who was thankfully still sleeping peacefully. He wondered again for the umpteenth time how he should tell Harry everything. In the end he decided that he would wake Harry up and they would talk over dinner. He sighed again–hopefully this conversation would go smoothly.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Missing Pieces</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Only Tom’s POV this time.<br/>Mpreg mentioned<br/>I said two days, I think it’s been two days so I’ll post it now cause it’s done<br/>Next update: 2 days? 3days? Idk we‘ll see</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>     He silently walked into the guest room with a tray full of food and had to pause when he saw Harry sleeping. His fluffy black curls and Harry’s cute nose were poking out of the comforter that simply engulfed the rest of his body. Tom felt a little warm wiggle in his stomach as a result, which he ignored and set the tray on the nightstand. He slid the heavy, dark curtain open to let some of the fading daylight in and sat on the bed next to Harry and started running his fingers through the soft hair, while whispering Harry’s name to wake him up.            <br/>
     Sleepy eyes, smudged with blue under them, and framed with black lashes blinked a few times and squinted at him. Tom looked away for a second to catch his breath and control his blush–because Gaunts did not blush thank you very much–and used that as a convenient time to hand Harry his glasses. Harry looked at him confused for a few seconds and waited for Tom to say something. Tom cleared his throat before speaking.<br/>
     “I brought you dinner and wanted to talk about a few things while you are eating.” Harry just continued to look at him confused like he wasn’t used to people waking him up to give him dinner in bed–which was probably the case if Tom’s theory was correct. Tom waited until Harry sat up and stretched with a little yawn, which made Tom’s heart speed up a little–curse you stupid emotions. Harry then looked up at him and the shirt he was wearing slipped of his shoulder and Tom remembered Harry was wearing his own clothes and that thought was so intoxicating–Harry was covered in his scent–he couldn’t have stopped his hand if he had tried and gently tucked one of Harry’s errant curls around his ears and trailed his finger down the soft skin of Harry’s neck to the exposed shoulder until he regretfully pulled away. Harry shivered slightly in response and looked at his hands, while starting to chew on his lip nervously.<br/>
     Tom handed Harry his tray of food and gestured at him to start eating and started talking before he could overthink this scenario any further.<br/>
     “Harry dear,“ Harry looked up at that endearment, but then continued to pick hesitantly at his food– which must have been slightly difficult due to the perhaps excess amount of bandages Tom had applied to his hands earlier. “I find myself extremely curious about how much you know about your magic abilities and if there are any other changes you have noticed.“ Harry glanced at him briefly before tightening his hand on his fork.<br/>
     There was a pause for a second filled only by Harry’s hesitation until he took a slightly shaky breath. “I...I know that it sometimes protects me when I’m scared, that it can also heal me faster than other humans and... that well I don’t know how to explain this...” Harry trailed off, glanced at Tom and Tom tried to nod at him encouragingly. Harry chewed his lip again for a few seconds until he said thoughtfully, “but I can feel plants and stuff and I can control them, like as in make them grow when I touch them and they also protect me by like tripping people and stuff and also I can speak to snakes.“ Tom’s head jerked up suddenly at that admission.  <br/>
      Tom’s head was spinning–how could Harry speak Parseltongue? He thought only those descended from Slytherin‘s line could. Also what was with the plant abilities? Tom himself had certain areas of magic that called to him more than others namely necromancy and blood magic, maybe that was something similar?<br/>
      There was this itch at the back of his mind that felt like he and Harry meeting was a thread of fate finally revealing itself. If he and Harry were meant to find each other, perhaps their abilities had something to do with it. After all, Harry’s affinities to life magic and Tom’s affinities to death magic were intriguing especially the connection of Parseltongue. Snakes were ambiguous creatures after all–Seen as dark but also symbols of healing.<br/>
     “Tom? Everything okay?“ Harry’s sweet voice suddenly rang in his ear startling him from his thoughts.<br/>
     Tom rubbed his eyes trying to organize his thoughts. “Hmm? Oh yes just thinking about what you said about being able to speak Parseltongue–snake speak that is. It is a gift that was thought to belong to only one family, but you have just proved otherwise.”<br/>
     Harry perked up instantly. “Wait. Family? You mean that there are a ton more people who have magic than just you or me?“   <br/>
     Tom nodded and replied with: “Oh yes, there is an entire Wizarding World, however, they are very prejudiced to wixen who have been born to nonmagical people, they are called muggleborns.“   <br/>
     “So I’m a muggleborn? I mean I never knew my parents, they died in a car crash when I was a baby. Also what are wixes?“ Harry was practically vibrating with excitement, his questions barely held in, if only to hear the answer to his questions, which he treated like precious stones. Tom’s chest ached at the thought that his answers meant so much and how he was about to be incredibly let down by how close-minded the community in Britain was.<br/>
     “My assumption is that you are a muggleborn because you have clearly not attended Hogwarts, which is a magical school intended only for halfblood and pureblood use. Wixen is the genderneutral term for a wizard or witch.“ Tom tried very hard to keep his voice steady while he said this, but his voice had wavered slightly on the word pureblood.   <br/>
     Harry looked slightly heartbroken at the fact that he could not go to a school for magic and was fiddling with his food again.  <br/>
     “Tom? Did you go to Hogwarts?“  <br/>
     “Yes, Harry. I did.“  <br/>
     “Could you- I mean would you be willing to teach me some stuff?“   <br/>
     Tom grabbed Harry’s hand and looked him in the eye. “I would be happy to teach you.” <br/>
     Harry reached out and brushed his bandaged hand against Tom’s face, cupping his cheek. “Thank you,“ he whispered, “you have no idea how much that means to me.“ Harry then kissed his cheek, his glasses pressing into Tom’s face and he pulled away, letting his hands fall back into his lap.<br/>
     Tom felt his stomach fluttering and reached shaky fingers up to touch the spot on his cheek that Harry had kissed, it was still warm.  <br/>
     “Harry,” Tom whispered with a slight roughness. “There was something else that I wanted to tell you about magic.“ He paused for a second wetting his lips. “Magical people have second genders, which means that including their biological gender people have a magical one. The different magical genders are Alpha, Beta, and Omega. They all are important and I can explain them in more detail whenever we start doing lessons, but in general they are presented when wixen turn sixteen and include a heightened sense of smell, the wixen, if they are not a beta that is, will have other characteristics, if you will, that present during this time.“ Tom glanced at Harry, who looked slightly horrified. “Harry? Everything okay?“   <br/>
     “But I’m eighteen? Does that mean I don’t have a magical gender?“  <br/>
     Tom paused at this and said, “Harry, secondary genders can be presented at a later time if certain circumstances are not suitable enough. I think that this is the case you find yourself in. Too much stress, and an unsafe environment are simply not conductive to presenting your secondary gender. However, I believe you to be presenting very soon, in two days at the latest judging by your smell and symptoms. This is why I felt it necessary to explain this.” <br/>
     Harry looked up quickly, “You already know my other gender? What is it?“ Harry grabbed his hand, the overlarge sleeve getting in the way for a moment.  <br/>
     “You are an Omega, which means that you develop a uterus that is fertile during so-called heats that occur twice a year, your first is almost underway.“ Harry clutched his hand even tighter and pulled it to his chest. “I can get pregnant? And have children?“ Harry’s eyes started to glisten–that was the first time he noticed their color, green, a beautiful green that reminded him of fresh air and the moss that was in his favorite clearing in the woods about a half-mile walk from here–and scooted out of the blankets, mindful of the tray, and into Tom’s arms. Tom pulled Harry closer and buried his face into those gorgeous locks of his.  <br/>
     Harry looked up at him and whispered, “I can have a family of my own to love?“ Tom drowned in those eyes of his that exuded life and nodded in answer, leaning his forehead against Harry’s. Their cheeks brushed each other, so that Tom could feel the tears running down Harry’s face. Tom rocked Harry in his arms until he stopped crying and then laid them down on the bed his chest pressing into Harry’s back so he could still feel the shuddering breaths Harry was taking in. Tom kissed his head and then fell into a deep, contented sleep for the first time in years.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Calm Before the Storm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>More POV switching <br/>No warnings</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1"><span class="s1">     Harry was still encased in Tom’s arms when he woke up his glasses pressing into his face. He felt protected and cherished, which was horribly strange as he and Tom had only met yesterday. But there was something there besides bodies and minds and magic like an invisible thread that tied their souls together. It was this connection that had him call to Tom yesterday on pure instinct. And after his bath there had been a moment that their magic had danced together and his had wagged its tail like an excited puppy. It just made sense, yes, there was something there between them that had a wonderful effect on both of them. Tom hadn’t said anything yet, but Harry was sure that he was lonely– he lived in a beautiful house alone with no one who could understand magic. Harry felt like he was saving Tom as much as Tom was saving him. <br/></span>     Harry felt a sudden stab of pain in his lower abdomen as if a knife had been plunged into him and twisted. He bit his lip to hold in a cry so as not to wake Tom, however it seemed Tom had a sixth sense when it came to Harry because he was pulled more firmly against Tom’s chest and heard soothing murmuring that was slightly raspy. “Shhhhh it’s okay it’s your body telling you it’s close to heat. Let me go see if I can find a heating pad or something.“ <br/>     Tom then got up and he whimpered as he felt those soothing arms leave him. “Hey, hey I’ll be right back I promise.“ Harry just curled into himself wrapping his arms around his stomach trying to relieve the pain. <br/>     Harry didn’t know how long it had been, but he heard Tom’s feet quietly pattering back to him. He heard him plugging something in, and felt a thin, soft pillow being placed under his shirt. <br/>“It’ll warm up soon, I promise.“ Tom whispered and then crawled back onto the bed to curl up with him again. “Try to get some more sleep. It’s only six in the morning.“ Tom plucked his glasses off his face and set them on the nightstand. He felt Tom’s arms around him again and some instinct in him settled and he faded slowly back into sleep.</p>
<hr/>
<p class="p1">     Later that morning Harry asked Tom if they could get some books on Omegas and heats, while they were both lounging in bed eating breakfast.   <br/>     “Harry, you realize you are on the very edge of your heat and have an injured ankle?“ Tom said with his eyebrows raised so high Harry wondered if they would disappear into his hairline.   <br/>     “Tom,“ Harry mimicked the incredulous tone Tom had been using and pushed his glasses further up his nose. “Do you realize i have never had a heat before and have no idea what to expect, and neither do you besides speculations you heard in the locker room when you were a teenager?“ Tom winced and nodded in acquiescence. <br/>     Harry sighed. “Tom, we don’t have to go to the most popular bookstore I just need information before my body goes through something I have no understanding of.“ Harry looked down at his hands. “And I’m also really nervous.“ He admitted quietly. Tom looked like he might say something to that, but closed his mouth and nodded again. “And if can be prepared for something, well.... then why shouldn’t I be?“ Harry adjusted the heating pad, letting Tom ponder on what he had said. <br/>     “Harry, I have to be honest, I want you to get that information, I really do, but I know for certain that Omegas produce pheromones that broadcast their heat. If there are any unmated Alphas in that store, they will try and claim you.“ Toms voice was deadly serious. <br/>     “I know, I know, but if I stay next to you the whole time?“ <br/>     Tom looked like he was about to flat out refuse but when he looked into Harry’s eyes his posture softened slightly and relented. “We will only go if you promise to stay right next to me the entire time-” Harry whooped in celebration and Tom continued even louder, “however, if there is a hostile Alpha we disappear straight away per apparition.” Tom looked at him with an intense expression. “Harry you have to promise me you will not do anything besides look at the specific books we need, buy them and then leave.“ <br/>     Harry surged into Tom with an enthusiastic hug, which knocked Tom onto his back with Harry now on top of him. Tom wrapped his arms around Harry’s waist and leaned their foreheads together. “Promise me, Harry.” Tom whispered looking into his eyes. <br/>     “I promise.” Harry answered and hesitated for a second before gently brushing their lips together for a second and then tucking his head underneath Tom’s chin.</p>
<hr/>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Tom was meticulously smoothing the material of the silver robes Harry was now wearing–Tom had shrunk a pair of his, it would not do to go to such a public magical place with muggle clothes on, they didn’t want any trouble–and tried not to look at Harry’s soft lips. He could still feel them, the gentle puff of breath and then a short caress that left his lips tingling. He’d never felt any sort of attraction to anyone before, not even wanting to touch other people or be touched, but something about Harry put him at ease and let him enjoy the simple pleasure of that comfort with another person.  <br/></span><span class="s1">      He let a deep breath out and held tightly onto Harry’s waist. “You ready?” Tom felt more than saw Harry’s nod. He centered himself and pictured </span><span class="s2">Hogsmeade</span><span class="s1">, with its small shops, and sloped streets, and friendly people, before he felt an insistent </span><em><span class="s3">tug</span></em><span class="s1"> on his navel and they spiraled through space.<br/></span><span class="s1">They slammed into the ground outside of the </span><span class="s2">Three Broomsticks </span><span class="s1">and Harry pressed his face into Tom’s chest. He assumed that the travel had upset his already irritated stomachand also not fully healed ankle and rubbed his back in soothing circles, watching the few people shopping to determine if there was a threat.   <br/></span><span class="s1">     Once Harry pulled away from Tom, Harry looked around whipping his head back and forth trying to take in all the details indicating that this was a Wizarding town. Tom grabbed his hand and tugged him along to the small bookshop at the end of the street with a crooked sign saying: The Bagnall-Oakeley Bookshop. <br/></span>     Tom stepped in first opening the door and taking a subtle whiff to check who was inside smelling only a mated beta. The older woman was sorting books in a section towards the back and Tom gave a nod and a polite Hello in her direction before tugging Harry to the left where a section was marked ’Secondary Genders‘. <br/><span class="s1">     Tom always felt at home in places with lots of books and as such finally calmed enough to be completely absorbed in picking out which titles seemed most appropriate for their situation. They ended up picking two books out: </span><em><span class="s3">How to Prepare for your First Heat in Just a Few Easy Steps</span></em><span class="s1"> by Helga Heiss and </span><em><span class="s3">Alphas and Omegas: the Basics</span></em><span class="s1"> by Nyas Neufeld. <br/></span><span class="s1">     Tom started dragging Harry to the counter before a golden book that was flapping through the air like a butterfly caught his attention. Tom snatched it out of the air and it gave another feeble flap before he closed the book to read the cover: </span><span class="s3"><em>Complementary Magics and Myths</em></span><span class="s1"> by Sihir Gratis. Everything in Tom went still before he remembered he had a mission to get Harry back fast and safe and took the book with him to where Harry was chatting with the shopkeeper who looked amused while she added the cost of the books together. She looked up at him before grabbing the book from his hand and added it together as well. <br/></span>     “That’ll be six galleons and five Knuts please.” Tom nodded and dropped the correct amount on the counter while Harry tucked the books in the bag Tom had brought. The shopkeeper took the money, popped it into her safe under the counter and wisked away to the back of the shop. <br/><span class="s1">     The door to the shop creaked open and with it came the impossibly pungent smell of a familiar, unpleasant, unmated, and magically powerful Alpha. All of Tom’s muscles tightened in anticipation, before he turned around and saw the last person he wanted to see.</span></p>
<p class="p1"> </p>
<p class="p1"> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Storm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hope you enjoy❤️<br/>Warnings:minor character death, mini flashback(to ch. 1 scene 1), groping by magic<br/>Also lots of POV switching, it just worked out that way hope it’s not confusing<br/>Also mini epilogue in the notes at the end</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1"><span class="s1">     “Why hello there Tom,“ a dark voice rumbled and Tom stepped more firmly in front of Harry completely blocking his sight of the stranger. “How have you been faring in the muggle world?”<br/>
     Harry instantly hated him, the voice made him feel like prey. He pressed his chest further into Tom and clenched onto the black robes he was wearing. His heart was beating faster and suddenly remembered the feel of a knife on his throat, the cold metal pinning him in place. He took a few shuddering breaths of Tom scent to ground himself, but was still only half aware of his surroundings the prowling steps of this stranger didn’t help. <br/>
</span>     “Just fine,” Tom answered in a perfectly polite tone that felt like pricks of hail on exposed skin.<br/>
     The stranger sniffed at the air taking in a deep breath.    “Mmm what tasty morsel are you hiding there, Tom?” Harry’s entire body shook in terror, he could feel foreign magic probing at him, touching the inside of his thighs and the side of his neck. Tom growled and enveloped Harry with his magic pushing away the violation.<br/>
     “None of your business, Snape.“ Tom growled pushing Harry firmly against the counter. Harry was still shaking his hands clenched so tight they were bone-white and he felt a slight twinge in the ankle that had not yet fully healed.  <br/>
     “So impolite,“ the voice answered over-pronouncing each syllable. Harry could hear the amusement in the voice and tried to pull Tom closer to him although they were already plastered firmly together. Harry Was silently begging Tom to get them out, but remembered that they could only Disapparate outside.<br/>
     “And on the precipice of its heat. Do you not want the Omega any longer? I would gladly take it off you’re hands.” Tom gave another threatening growl and Harry felt Tom’s magic swirling around the both of them, fast and violent.</p>
<hr/><p class="p1"><span class="s1">     Something woke up in Tom like a giant eye that had been dreaming and just suddenly now peering open in reaction to the threat against Harry. Tom’s magic surged and he saw a misty tendril of it slither towards Snape forming itself into a hand and grabbing at the throat before him. Snape was writhing, choking, grabbing at it, but it just tightened while wrinkles spread over his face like cracking ice, cheeks sinking in and cataracts forming over black eyes.<br/>
     Tom reeled his magic back in minutes later, Snape falling to the ground with a thud. Tom didn’t spare him a glance as he lifted the shaking Harry in his arms and walked over the body of the disgusting pervert and promptly Apparated them both back home once he stepped outside–</span> <span class="s2">good riddance.</span></p>
<hr/><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Harry hadn’t looked down, while Tom carried him out of the shop. He had just buried his head into Tom’s chest feeling guilty that a man had died because of him, but his omega instincts purred with contentment that his chosen mate had been capable of protecting him. <br/>
</span> <span class="s1">     He was disgusted with himself. But dutifully tried to ignore it as he curled up next to Tom on the couch in nothing but boxers and one of Tom’s white undershirts—his skin had started to bother him becoming unusually sensitive so the robes had to go immediately. Tom handed him a book —</span> <span class="s2">How to Prepare for your First Heat in Just a Few Easy Steps</span> <span class="s1">—and situated his arm on Harry’s shoulders pulling them closer together. He cracked open the book and looked at the contents.</span></p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">  <em>I. Nesting..........................................pg.4</em> </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>II. Scenting.......................................pg.10</em> </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>III. Going through a Heat Alone...........pg.13</em> </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>IV. Heat with a Alpha..........................pg.18</em> </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>V. Bonding........................................pg.22</em> </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>VI. Knotting......................................pg.26</em> </span>
</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">      Harry, still clueless, but now intrigued flipped to page four. <br/>
</span> <span class="s2"> <br/>
                             <em>Nesting is a must for heats especially for a first heat. The Omega will feel extremely</em></span><em> <br/>
                         restless and  anxious without a</em><em> nest as it is a symbol of safety and comfort during a      <br/>
                         heat.</em><em> If the Omega is in a relationship with an Alpha the nest</em><em> must be created</em><em> <br/>
                         together to</em><em> create a bond of trust before their mating—</em></p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">     Harry’s face heated up and looked away at the word mating, of course he knew that heats were intended for sex so that the Omegas could became pregnant, but reading it in black and white was different than the abstract idea, he squirmed a bit and Tom looked at him in concern checking he was okay before returning to his own book. Harry looked down again and skimmed the text until it came to a step-by-step for making nests. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s2">                        <em>Step 1: The Omega must gather a large assortment of items to include in the nest. The most common ones are<br/>
                        clothes, blankets and pillows.</em></span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">     Clothes? Why would he want to put clothes in his bloody nest. Of course he then remembered what Tom’s clothes smelt like and thought <em>maybe it wasn’t such a dumb idea</em>.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s2">                       <em> Step 2: They must be arranged in a way that comforts the Omega</em>—</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">     Harry stopped reading. He could make a nest without the guide it was a little dull so he skipped ahead to the next chapter.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s2">                        <em>Chapter II. Scenting</em></span>
</p><p class="p1"><span class="s2"><em>                        Once the nest has been completed.</em>.</span> <span class="s1">...</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">     Harry finished the book with lots of skipping around involved—especially the chapter about Knotting, it was a little too detailed—but he was now confident about how he wanted to spend his heat. He was itching to make his nest.   <br/>
</span><span class="s1">     He studied Tom while he was reading for a few minutes. The way his dark hair was pushed behind his ear and curled at the tips and his pale skin simply glowed in the noon light shining through the window.  <br/>
</span>     Tom noticed and gently set his book aside and shifted on the couch so they faced each other, knees touching.<br/>
     Harry held out his hands and Tom took them rubbing circles Into them with his thumbs. Harry locked eyes with him and studied the dark irises. They were lit up by the sun which made the different colors noticeable.   <br/>
<span class="s1">     Tom looked....so soft. Even though he had killed a man today he looked like how sun-warmed earth felt—familiar and safe— but he also like running though warm rain—soothing and exhilarating.    <br/>
</span><span class="s1">     Harry looked in his eyes, holding his hands and felt the same connection he had been feeling ever since he met him yesterday. He saw how much Tom cared for him—though it should be impossible in such a short time— and finally understood what Tom had felt and why he had killed, he could see through Tom’s eyes—literally.  <br/>
</span>     “Tom,“ he said still gazing into his eyes. “Help me build a nest for my heat.“<br/>
     Tom nodded and Harry could see he understood it was not only an invitation to build a nest, but also a request that they stay together, that this was not a short-term relationship, but something that would last longer—much longer.</p>
<hr/><p class="p1"><span class="s1">     Tom was laying on his back in the fort he had Harry had made all afternoon together with Harry curled into his side, while he studied the Christmas lights they had strung up inside.  <br/>
</span>     Tom could smell the sweet pheromones of the omega curling into the air and looked down at him. His hair was already plastered to his forehead from sweat—his heat would fully arrive in only a few hours—Tom brushed it off and Harry unconsciously nuzzled even closer towards him. Tom smiled at the reaction and thought about what he had read today.</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s2">
    <em>Complementary magics draw persons together in unusual ways. There are many different types of some such magics, but much is still not known today.</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s2">
    <em>The patterns of magic that call upon each other are dichotomies. Therefore, these patterns are perceived contrasts that in the actuality of magics belong together and complete one another.</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s2">
    <em>Often these bonds of magics are platonic, but rare strong ones are mate bonds—soul bonds. These patterns are most commonly detected in mythology. Earth and Sky—Uranus and Gaia— and life and death—and Persephone and Hades are representative figures of the strength of such bonds. Both individuals are fulfilled by one another. </em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s2">
    <em>Soul bonds can be strengthened by the participants through a double claiming. This means that the claiming mark must be received on both ends most commonly through the practice of biting, but also possible through other means of blood sharing. </em>
  </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">     The book he had found only verified what he himself had detected. He turned and layed on his side wrapping himself firmly around Harry—his mate, even the fates had claimed it so. Burying his face in this beautiful man‘s hair he drifted into sleep thinking of his future, so much more hopeful and wonderful than it would’ve been. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>When the heat had ended, both of them were curled so tightly around one another that he was briefly confused as to which limbs were his own. He ran his fingers over Tom’s smooth skin and his heart swelled at this wonderful, strong, and intelligent man that he was connected to—by magic, body, and soul.<br/>“Tom,” he whimpered dragging their foreheads together. Tom’s eyes flickered open slowly and Harry crashed their lips together so soundly there was no doubt he wholeheartedly meant the words ’I love you,`which he whispered onto his lovers lips.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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